If Kaiser Chiefs are the new Blur of Britpop, Mark II and Kasabian are the new Oasis, then this Newcastle five-piece are surely the new Pulp. OK, such lofty comparisons may be pushing it a bit - but still, there's a self-belief about these young Geordie hopefuls that suggests they could be destined for great things. On the surface, they might look and sound like your average English indie-rock band. Dig a little deeper, however, and you'll discover an idiosyncratic streak that places them squarely in the tradition of great English eccentrics such as the Smiths and XTC. Like Jarvis Cocker, their charismatic frontman Paul Smith is not ashamed to sing in his own Northern accent - and his quirkily sophisticated songs celebrate the everyday even as they express a yearning to escape. Not just a powerful album in its own right, A Certain Trigger is also a harbinger of great things to come.
